Despise, Not Hate
by Delta-Delta
Summary: From the moment Clarisse first sets eyes on Percy Jackson, she knows she hates him. It's not long before that emotion changes... into something worse. All reviews are appreciated.


**Disclaimer's note: **The characters used in the story belong to Rick Riordan, not to me. I am only borrowing them.

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"So, any ideas for a target? Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on the newbie!" I looked up. Ron had just walked through the cabin door, holding his sword, having just come back from practice with Luke – counselor of the Hermes Cabin and the only one brave enough to go anywhere near Ron when the teenager had a sword in his hands.

"What newbie?" I replied. "And what target?" Ron sighed as if I was being ridiculous. I knew I seemed it, but my mind was back in the past, on the day I first arrived at Half-Blood Hill. My mom sat with me that afternoon and told me I needed to go. I had to train. I haven't seen her since, and that was years ago. Of course, I wrote to her on a weekly basis, but her comforting words could never replace the feeling I'd get whenever she hugged me. So gentle, yet strong. Comforting and protective. This was the feeling I grew up with… before everything changed.

"Snap out of it, Clarisse." Ron's voice shattered my thoughts like broken glass. "I'm talking about Friday's Capture the Flag game."

"Right… What about it?"

"Clarisse, I asked you who your target was."

I shrugged. "Probably the usual… meaning Annabeth." I smiled to myself, I couldn't help it. The thought of running my new electrical spear through that stuck-up princess enlivened me tremendously. It would also have the added bonus of showing all those dorks from Athena's cabin who they were dealing with.

"Well, I'm probably taking that new kid on. Rumor has it he killed the Minotaur, but I think the Minotaur just fell over laughing at the sight if him. The kid probably just chopped off a horn and ran away to show off."

I stood up to get a better look at the newbie. I noticed he was shorter than me, and then my eyes drifted to the Minotaur horn in his hand. I noticed the cabin door open as some of my friends walked out to investigate. I made up my mind, dropped my pen along with my blue spiral notebook and raced after them, calling out their names as I went. "Nat, Em, Sam, wait!"

"Hurry up. We want to catch that dork before he does anything stupid. We're already late, because it appears that he's already done something stupid by just _existing_."

I smiled and caught up, taking the lead. As we approached the boy, I noticed that Annabeth was with him. I put on my meanest facial expression and walked up to the two. I was about to comment on her sticking to unknown kids like glue, when she so _rudely_ interrupted me.

"Clarisse, why don't you go and polish your spear or something?"

I was more than happy to answer _that_ one. "Sure, Miss Princess," I said, giving her the name I often thought of her as. "So I can run you through with it Friday night." I was grinning now, but I couldn't help it. I was getting so much enjoyment out of this…

Then the little twit cursed. "_Erre es korkakas!_" _Is that the best you can do?_ I thought. _'Go for the crows?' Your Greek cursing needs work, Princess. _Other people could have thought that cursing in Greek when you're in America is weird, but as to the fact that everybody here at Half-Blood Hill is either from Greek mythology or has a parent who is either a Greek God or Goddess, Greek is basically a second language here.

"You don't have a chance", she told me. _Yeah, right. I totally believe that._

"We'll pulverize you." I was slightly nervous, but I dismissed these feelings as an instinct a half-blood would get before going into battle. However, I wasn't here to discuss her lame chances of winning the game. I wanted to find out about the bonehead standing next to her. I turned towards him and asked, "Who is this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson, meet Clarisse, the daughter of Ares." I was getting a feeling this introduction was more of a warning than anything else. Obviously, he didn't get it, because he just stood where he was, blinked stupidly, and said "Like… the war god?" _Like, duh._

"You got a problem with that?"

"No, it explains the bad smell." At that moment, I swore to myself that I'd kill him if he said anything else about my cabin _or_ my dad. Then I changed my mind. _He already said enough; I might as well just go and kill him now._

"We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"Percy." He corrected me. As if I cared.

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you." I said, dragging him away. _This is going to be so much fun…_ I thought to myself.

"Clarisse – " Annabeth tried to stop me. I ignored her; I was determined to show this moron not to mess with Ares _or_ any of his kids.

"Stay out of it, wise girl." Annabeth looked too scared to interfere with my plans, so I didn't bother saying anything else. Instead, I had the kid in a headlock and started making my way towards the bathroom, my friends at my heels, eager to see what I had in mind. I could feel the fool struggling, but he was so weak he might as well have been doing nothing and I wouldn't have noticed a difference.

Seeing that I was headed for the bathroom, Natalie jogged ahead and opened the door, grinning widely and exposing a straight row of white teeth. We came inside, and I started joking, "Like, he's 'Big Three' material". I noticed Miss Princess standing in the corner, looking as if she could faint from horror right now. My spirits rose even higher as I continued. "Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking", I said, quoting Ron.

I kicked open the dirtiest stall door, pushed the kid down on his knees and attempted to put his head into the toilet. I wasn't paying too much attention because I was laughing with my friends, but I regretted that moments later as the water from the toilet shot up at me. I let go of the jerk immediately, turned around, and stomped out of the bathroom.

I stood at the door, waiting for my friends. They walked out, soaked and cursing. The three of us flopped down into the mud and started planning ways to get back at him right away. I let my eyes wander over the campers watching us like we're a circus or something, when I noticed the Percy kid walk out of the bathroom, talking to Annabeth, who, to my pleasure, was just as wet as us.

He turned around, staring like he's never seen anybody soaking wet and covered in mud from head to toe. _What and idiot, _I thought. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead", I told him.

He just smiled back, and answered, "Do you want to gargle with toilet water, Clarisse? Close your mouth." _Yeah, sure, I'll do that. After I kill you._

I stood up, about to punch his nose, but my friends were holding me down like I was an animal escaping from its cage. "Wow, you really hate him, don't you? I mean, we all do, but you're an extreme case."

"I don't _hate_ him, Samantha. _Despise _is more like it." I couldn't wait to get hold of him on Friday night. I'd make him sorry… or maybe even worse. I stood up and headed to my cabin to grab a towel, a change of clothes, and most importantly, check on my spear. It had to be in perfect condition if I was going to kill Prissy as well as the Princess.

_Ron better find himself a new target, _I thought. _Because Prissy is going to be nothing but a puddle when I'm done with him. _


End file.
